Thus, when you’re tempted to share a Politico article, please look instead for an article from a different source.
(Also, if you’re wondering, know that Axel Springer, the mass media company, has nothing to do with Springer, the science publisher (with the chess knight logo; it’s named after Julius Springer; it deserves criticism of its own, but a different kind.)
Reminiscent of dumping on the Washington Post because Bezos.
The reason that quality independent journalism is so hard to find is that nobody much is paying for it. Including you, probably.
I listen to Politico’s EU Confidential podcast and it’s pretty good. The EU’s national medias are too parochial to cover Brussels, with Politico at least somebody’s doing it.
As things have turned out, one can hardly censure the people who did so.
There are several interrelated reasons: Lack of funding (in part due to a lack of an advertising subsidy, which is a good thing), lack of prominence, lack of readers recognizing the value of independent journalism.
The crucial thing is that with everyone who does recognize its value—and the harm caused by a corporate-dominated media landscape—and who therefor starts to make a conscious effort to read independent sources more often, to point others to them, and to support them financially (which I do, for the record), those issues improve in tandem.
The Bylines network is good and free (apart from the necessary ads, of course).
I pay for The Guardian and I swear there are dozens of us!
Ha. Actually I believe there are hundreds of thousands who do (and good for you!). It’s a great model IMO. Foundation status with an endowment, free to access and beg banners saying “Pay so that others don’t have to”. Of course, the quirky status was a bit of an accident of history.
There is a certain irony with my most trusted source of news (im an American) being a British publication.